For Love or Money
by dragoney3
Summary: Ino and Sakura accept missions that will change their fates forever. Seducing two members of Akatsuki will be no child's play.
1. Chapter 1

For Love or Money?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1

_Hokage Tower_

Tsunade gazed out over the village from her vantage point on the balcony of her office within the Tower. The evening was mild; a light breeze gently flowed through the ends of her blonde hair. A wistful sigh escaped her as she pondered the mission she was about to assign her very own protegé.

Her village was at a peak, she knew, but unless something drastic was done, the Village of the Hidden Leaf, would begin to fade away into the vaults of history, layers of dust to settle on its once illustrious name. The precious bloodline limits that made up much of the identity of each hidden village were beginning to fade within Konoha. The proud Uchiha clan had been all but decimated by the massacre at the hands of Uchiha Itachi. With only two remaining members, neither of whom with any interest in returning to the village, its future remained bleak. As for the Hyuugas, they were on the precipice of a rebellion due to the inane stubbornness of their council to do away with the Branch class. With both noble houses out of commission or otherwise occupied, Konoha was forced to rely upon the powerful hereditary techniques utilized by other shinobi families. However, the Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Aburame clans all had only yielded one child apiece to contribute to the next generation. There were others, but it just was not enough. Without more shinobi children, life as they knew it would warp into something horribly unfamiliar. Konoha would become a civilian village.

With these thoughts at the forefront of her mind, Tsunade heard a knock at the doors of her office. She immediately yelled for a frazzled Shizune to admit one Haruno Sakura and one Yamanaka Ino. "Close the door," she growled.

The two jounin kunoichis obeyed and looked at their Hokage with puzzled expressions. Seldom did they see Tsunade with such a solemn expression on her face.

Sakura glanced around, startled to notice no half empty sake bottles strewn about the room. A Tsunade without sake would explain the harried state of her assistant. Unsurprisingly, Hatake Kakashi leaned against his usual wall.

"As you are well aware, we as a village have arrived at a window of relative peace,"Tsunade began."That being said, a window of peace is a window of opportunity. We are in need of power. Powerful offspring to continue the next generation, to be exact."

"Tsunade-shishou..." Sakura had a feeling she knew where this was going, and she couldn't slow the rapid beating of her heart.

"You are two of my most talented kunoichis. Strong, intelligent, and dedicated. These missions that I am about to burden you with will put all of those things to the ultimate test. These are S-ranked and I need to know now, before I give you any more details, if you are willing. If not, say so now because if you decide that later, I will be forced to label you as missing nins and you will be included in Leaf's Bingo Book." She stared hard at her former apprentice, her honey eyes boring a hole into Sakura's emerald.

Sakura swallowed hard. Never before had she even heard of such a mission, where the stakes were so high coupled with so little information. But she was a kunoichi of Konoha. She loved her village with every fiber of her being. Her gaze hardened with determination and she returned her mentor's stare. "I am willing."

Ino put her hand on her hip and held her posture with confidence. "Me, too. Let's see the scrolls Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade pulled two scrolls from a drawer in her desk and handed one to each woman. "Your mission is to infiltrate Akatsuki and seduce two of its members. Specifically, Uchiha Itachi and the man known as Deidara. Any knowledge of the organization you get is to be relayed here to me via Sakura's summons. However..." she paused, taking a deep breath, " your primary aim is to be impregnated with their children to build the foundation for the next generation of shinobis here in Konoha. I do not need to stress to you how valuable the Uchiha bloodline is, and the bomber's limit is powerful enough to warrant its integration into our village as well. Kakashi will be accompanying you as a guardian. He is to aid you in whatever endeavors you require assistance with. You leave tomorrow morning."

Sakura felt her knees weaken, and a glance at Ino told her that the blonde was faltering as well. "Shishou...,"Sakura managed when she finally found the coherence to speak,"why us? Why me?"

Tsunade looked them both in the eye. "Because I believe that you are the only two strong enough to complete this task. Who else would you have me send?"

With that, they bowed their heads, knowing she was right. The virginal Hinata did not have the countenance to hold up to this kind of mental, emotional, and physical strain. And Neji would hunt down Tenten before she got a day's journey from Konoha.

The two looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They took up their scrolls and turned to leave with Kakashi.

"And girls..."Tsunade's voice caught them as they turned towards the door,"good luck."

As they shut the door behind them, Tsunade held her head in her hands. "And I'm sorry."

* * *

_Konoha_

Kakashi, Ino, and Sakura walked out of the Hokage Tower and onto the busy village street.

Immediately, Kakashi put a hand on each girl's shoulder and looked at them squarely. "I'll meet you at the gate tomorrow morning at dawn." With that, he turned and walked away, vanishing into the day's crowd.

Ino and Sakura looked at everything but each other and shuffled their feet uncomfortably. Finally, Ino broke the silence. "Well that was...unexpected." Sakura nodded, her usually cheerful façade beginning to melt into one of distress. Ino understood her need to get away. She wanted some privacy herself. "I'm, um...gonna go pack."

"Okay."

Sakura turned and began walking towards her own home, still in shock. Pregnant. Her. By Itachi? Kami, she hoped Sasuke never came back. How could she possibly explain something like that to him?

Her thoughts jumbled at that. But she knew she probably wouldn't ever need to explain anything to him. He had been off the grid for over three years. That was why Tsunade was sending her after Itachi instead. At least she had a prayer of finding the Akatsuki member, whereas her former teammate was probably dead.

_Look at the bright side,_ her inner self suddenly piped up, _at least you won't be alone. Ino-Pig will be there to keep you company. And Itachi isn't at all bad-looking. Your kids could definitely do worse._

Shut up, she replied to herself. She didn't want to see the bright side of things right now. Right now, she wanted chocolates and fluffy blankets and bed. She shuffled into her apartment and closed the door behind her walking to her bathroom and gazing into the mirror at her reflection. Wide, green eyes stared back from a sharply angled face featuring high cheekbones and her trademark broad forehead, framed by bright ribbons of her annoyingly pink hair. Sasuke hadn't wanted this face, and no one else had taken interest in it since he left. How the hell was she supposed to catch _Itachi_?

* * *

_Elsewhere in Konoha_

Ino's gut reaction to the news of her mission was horror, but as she headed home, her steps be came lighter and her shoulders pulled her up tall. This would be her chance to start anew. All of her emotional aches could be set behind her, and she didn't need to look back. And a baby. One tiny bundle of normalcy to ground her, force her to be stable. It was perfect. She would never need to think about _him_ again.


	2. Chapter 2

For Love or Money

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 2

_Konoha- North Gate_

Kakashi leaned against the wall on one side of the gate. His _Icha Icha_ was open in front of his nose, but he was not reading. He was contemplating the agony that was going to be this mission. Because god damn it, he was going on a mission for an indeterminate amount of time with _her_ of all people.

At twenty-two years old, his student had grown into not only one of the most dangerous kunoichis, but also one of the most beautiful women. The gangly lines of her teenaged years had both smoothed and sharpened her features. Within the last two years he had found himself thinking of her emerald eyes as alluring as opposed to innocent. Her oddly colored tresses seemed like they would feel so soft between his fingers. And her smile always reassured him that there was hope, sometimes in the bleakest of circumstances.

Just thinking about it made him feel old and lecherous. He had no right to feel that way about her, and he was sure Tsunade would skin him alive if she ever found out, at least, as long as Sakura didn't get to him first.

Footsteps pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the bombshell of the rookie twelve walking toward him, a pack hoisted on one of her shoulders.

Ino was a walking sex pistol. Her body was all curves and flawless skin, making her well suited for seduction missions, and she knew it. Her jounin attire was specifically chosen to compliment that purpose, her loose black pants riding low on her hips where an expanse of skin was bare where her netted long-sleeved top failed to extend past her naval. Under the netted half shirt, her indigo hued breast bindings shone through, matching a small length of bandage wrapped over her right bicep. Her cobalt blue eyes were sharp and intelligent, well-trained at absorbing detail to be stored away for a later date. Since acquiring jounin status, she allowed herself few vanities, the only constant being the intricate designs she painted on her well manicured fingernails.

He was somewhat happy to note that today she stood tall, and her steps had regained much of the confidence that had been so remarkable about her has a genin and chuunin. Everyone had noticed how that had faded over the past few months and he pondered whether it could be this horrible mission that could be responsible for the sudden change.

More footsteps, and there she was. His own personal hell. His dark, uncovered eye met her two.

Sakura, in stark contrast to Ino, dressed to cover every inch all the way to her head and hands. A black, form-fitting, long-sleeved spandex shirt graced her femininity in detail, a red wrap spanning the area from her waist to just beneath her breasts. She opted for the equally form-fitting jounin pants that many kunoichi found easier to move in, and tall black leather boots that reached up to her knees. When she needed to move, she wanted nothing in her way. Her medic apron tied easily around her pelvis, and kunai and shuriken holders were secured on both thighs.

All three teammates sported their hitai-ates with a broad scratch running through the leaf symbol. Until they returned, they would be missing nins, their photograph in every country's Bingo Book, including their own.

Kakashi pulled out their map and showed the women the route he had plotted the night before. "We'll head towards Ame, all indications say that's the most likely location of their main base."

They nodded and all three set off for Rain.

_Oh what I do for money_, Kakashi thought as he ambled behind the pair.


	3. Chapter 3

For Love or Money

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 3

_Somewhere in Fire_

Three days into their trip, the trio reached a small village. The long days of travel had left them with bellies aching for something more than soldier pills and cup ramen, and sleeping on the hard ground had them haggard looking and exhausted.

Kakashi lead them to a small inn on the edge of town and haggled with the innkeeper. The man appeared as though he had worked too hard for too many years, his eyes hollow and drawn into a weathered face. They negotiated the rate of the room, but not for long. Kakashi had not the heart to cheapen their stay any more when this village so obviously needed every cent.

They ended up with two rooms, one with a single bed and the other with a double. Kakashi accepted the first and the girls took the second.

As Ino fell onto the bed, Sakura headed for the tiny bathroom attached to the room. She opened the door and took a startled step back with a gasp as an equally startled and shirtless and _mask-less _Kakashi looked from the mirror over the sink right at her. A _shared_ bathroom. Go figure.

"Ah, sorry! I'll just, ah, give you a few minutes! Yeah..." Sakura managed as she backed away and closed the door.

It had been some time since she had been on a mission with her former sensei. She didn't remember his shoulders being so broad, his abs so defined. Inner Sakura's jaw had dropped and she had urged for Sakura to go and run her hands over his strong back. And his face. She had seen it several times over the years, but there was something different about the expression she had just seen flicker over his features. There had been...she struggled to find the right words, almost a...heat? In his eyes. She shook her head to clear away the thought. No. She was imagining things. It was just her subconscious wanting to see someone look at her that way and tricking her into believing it had actually happened.

"Whoa." Ino propped herself up on her elbow. "Who knew he was so hot, and tall, and hot?" She looked at Sakura. "YOU have been holding out on me."

Sakura couldn't help the red warmth that flooded her visage. "He was my teacher, Ino. You're a perv."

Ino giggled fell back to the mattress. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Little Miss Perfect would never notice the gorgeous-ness of her own sensei."

A quiet knock on the door sounded, and Sakura answered it to find Kakashi standing in the doorway looking a bit sheepish. "Uh, the bathroom's open if you want to get cleaned up. I'm going to go find us some food."

"Hai." She replied.

She walked into the bathroom and began stripping off her clothes. She looked in the mirror and grimaced at the layers of grime and dust that had been caked onto her body over the last several days.

Turning, she stepped into the shower and groaned at the feel of the hot water sliding over her neck and shoulders, her thoughts drifting back to what she had just seen. Kakashi _was_ a gorgeous man. At thirty-four years old, his features had lost none of their boyish charm, the only tell of his age being the way his eyes would sometimes harden at talk of war or death; he had seen too much of it in his lifetime. He stood roughly six feet tall, his shock of gravity defying silver hair stretching out from his hitai-ate to add a couple of inches. His single dark eye stood at stark contrast to the Sharingan red of his other orb. Between them, a long straight nose pointed down to a stubborn mouth boasting a full lower lip. His shoulders were wide and strong, a six-pack leading down to slender hips where his loose black jounin pants rode low, offering comfort and freedom of movement. She had sparred in taijutsu with him enough times to know that those pants hid a great ass.

Wait, _what?_ Sakura pinched herself in the side and chided herself for letting her mind wander to places it definitely shouldn't be. He was her teacher and she was being sent to seduce Itachi. There was no room for romance on this mission. And what about Sasuke? _What about him, _snapped Inner Sakura. She sighed. Indeed.

* * *

_Next Door_

__Kakashi had gone back into his room to retrieve his coin when he heard Sakura's groan from the bathroom. The purse fell from his hands. Just the thought of her in that shower, naked and wet and groaning, was so sensual that he had to bite down on his cheek to keep from becoming aroused to the point of being obvious. He buried his head and his hands and counted sheep in his head until he could trust himself to pick up the coin purse and leave the room. How the hell was he going to make it through this mission?

He walked out of the inn and down the street toward the center of the village, searching out a decent venue for food. Settling on one, he approached and ordered meals for himself and the two kunoichi. Just as he turned to leave, a flash of blue disturbed his peripheral vision. When he turned his head, it was gone, but he had a good hunch as to what, or rather _who_ he had seen. Quickly, he darted down a shadowed alley and bit his thumb. Slamming it to the earth, he called forth his small dog summons and friend, Pakkun.

"Heya, Boss."

"Pakkun, do you smell something particularly...fishy?" Kakashi asked, giving the dog a knowing look.

Pakkun turned his nose up, drawing in the wafts of city air. He looked back at Kakashi. "He's here alright."

"Tail him. When he bunkers down, send someone back to me and we'll follow. If this goes well, I'll let you visit Sakura."

Pakkun gave a happy yip and got moving. Sakura almost always had some tasty treat on her person just for him.

Kakashi grimaced and walked back to the inn, the food warming his hands. Hoshigake Kisame was in town, and it was time this mission really got underway.


	4. Chapter 4

For Love or Money

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 4

_The Village in Fire_

Itachi thought there would be nothing left that would surprise him. That was, until he caught a glimpse of Konoha's number one Copy Cat Ninja, the Hokage's apprentice, and the Yamanaka heir all wandering about a forlorn little village with gouges running through their hitai-ates. By all appearances, they were on the run. But even as he mulled the matter over in his mind, he knew something didn't add up. These particular nins had reputations preceding them. All were known for their loyalty to the Leaf and their determination to defend its well-being at all costs.

So why were they here?

Itachi's Sharingan spun as he locked on to the two women's chakra signatures and kept watch. He needed to figure this out. If they were genuinely rogue, Pein would want them in Akatsuki. It was time to make his presence known.

* * *

Sakura was on the verge of sleep, the only thing keeping her from it was her rumbling stomach and Kakashi's promise to be back with food.

She reached out with her chakra, trying to feel for his and track him back to the inn. Instead of Kakashi's chakra, however, she gasped as she sensed another's. Another's whose chakra was dark and powerful. She pulled back her awareness, already guessing just whose chakra that was. Sasuke was off the radar, so that left one Uchiha Itachi.

Nudging Ino awake, Sakura clasped a hand to her friend's mouth and gestured for silence. A wide eyed Ino nodded and both girls set about arming themselves.

Positioned at the ready, they waited. Neither was fully prepared, however, when Itachi suddenly materialized behind Sakura.

"Were you waiting for me?"

Sakura whirled, the kunai in her hand automatically slicing for the missing nin's carotid artery.

He easily caught her wrist in a large, calloused hand.

Face to face with her target, Sakura felt her heart thumping in her chest. For a moment, she saw a different face, one she had seen and pined after every day of her childhood. In the blink of an eye, the image was gone and she recognized the stark differences between the man before her and the boy who was her former teammate.

Itachi was a smidgeon taller than Sasuke. Long dark bangs framed a face with aristocratic features: high cheekbones, straight delicate nose, and a thin upper lip atop a slightly fuller bottom. Where Sasuke's visage was roughened by emotion, Itachi's was disturbingly calm and smooth. All that was the same was the eyes, of course the eyes. Itachi's irises were red now, with three black tomoes swirling about the pin-sized center pupill of the Sharingan. She knew that when the red bled out, they would be obsidian black. His long Akatsuki cloak hid the rest of his shape from view.

Sakura slowly stepped back and lowered her arm. "I'm sorry. You startled me."

Itachi cocked his head slightly to the side. "And why would the apprentice to Leaf's Hokage be apologizing to _me_?"

Sakura looked to the ground with something akin to shame in her eyes and Ino stepped forward to stand beside her pink-haired friend. "We aren't shinobi of the Leaf anymore. You are no longer our enemy."

The look Itachi gave them demanded an explanation.

"Tsunade..._san_ betrayed us. The council accused us of scheming against the Hokage. They said we planned to overthrow Tsunade and push for Kakashi to replace her. _Treason_ they called it. And Tsunade allowed them to exile us." Sakura allowed her body to tremble slightly as the words dripped off her tongue. She had always thought she would have made a decent actress if she hadn't become a kunoichi.

Unfortunately, she wasn't trying to lie to just anyone. This was THE Uchiha Itachi. He hadn't lived as long as he had as a missing nin without knowing how to spot a lie.

Itachi quirked an eye at her and motioned for them to sit.

"We might as well sit until Kakashi gets back to continue this conversation. He'll be walking in any moment."

No sooner had the words left his tongue when Kakashi appeared in the window of the room, a brown paper bag in his left hand and a kunai in his right. His eye scanned the room and he noted Itachi leaning against the wall.

"I see you found him then. Or rather, it appears that he found you." He looked back at Itachi. "Kisame gave you away. You should tell him to henge himself better. Blue is really an..._obvious_ color when it's not in the sky."

"And pink isn't?" Itachi retorted, gesturing towards Sakura.

"Touche. Why are you here?"

"You are three of the most powerful nin of the Leaf gone rogue. Pein and Leader-sama will want to be introduced to you."

The three exchanged wary glances. They hadn't figured on the Akatsuki finding _them_, but it worked in favor of their mission.

Kakashi, the unspoken leader of the team, nodded. "We will go with you, for now."

"We will leave in the morning." He paused. "You should use the time to concoct a better lie for Leader-sama."

With that, Itachi turned on his heel and poofed out of the room.

Kakashi, Ino, and Sakura all wore the same tense look of worry on their faces.

* * *

Down the hall from the Leaf nins' rooms, Itachi poofed back into his own lodgings.

They were going to go with him. No questions asked. He couldn't think of anything more suspicious.


End file.
